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Kari Kesler

PAST Kesler assisted Honeywell in building its business case for an SMMP prior to joining the company in October 2004. She spent the next four years building and managing its global program, securing over $55 million in centralized meeting spend. She recently left Honeywell to start her own consultancy, KK Strategic Solutions.

CRED Kesler is one of the power players of the National Business Travel Association, where she has served in various roles for more than a decade, most visibly with the Groups & Meetings Committee. She was named to NBTA’s board of directors in 2006, and she is currently leading the development of the Strategic Meetings Management Certification (SMMC), which will roll out at NBTA’s annual convention in August.  In addition, she has worked with the Convention Industry Council on its APEX
educational advisory board.

SUCCESS STORY Kesler says work with NBTA in this arena has been the most rewarding of all her accomplishments. In this role, she helped developed several SMMP-related models, including Strategy by Event Type and Spectrum of Event Complexity, that help startup programs grow. “It has been great to see the impact on the industry of NBTA’s pioneering vision and work in this space,” she says.

ADVICE “Don’t focus on the ‘C-suite.’  Careers in this industry are diverging into specific skill sets, including SMMP, meeting architecture, and strategic meeting planning and delivery—to name a few. The time is now to understand your own value proposition, educate yourself accordingly, and carve out a position that maximizes what you bring to the table. There has been so much emphasis in the industry on getting in front of the executive level that, at times, we have missed the chance to have our work speak for itself. I am confident that a premature seat across from your CEO will hinder your personal progress and the potential for your program, while a seat earned as the result of indisputable and measurable success will be well worth the wait.”

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